People arrange candles to offer prayers for the victims of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, at a shopping mall in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. All sides in the conflict in Ukraine — Kiev, the separatists, and Moscow — have denied any involvement in the downing of MH17.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima sign a condolence register at the Ministry of Security and Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. Malaysia Airlines executive Huib Gorter said 189 of the flight's passengers were from the Netherlands.

Ukrainian coal miners search the crash site near the village of Rozsypne. The plane had not sent a distress signal. It reportedly came apart at a cruising altitude of 33,000 feet, with its wreckage landing in territory held by pro-Russian insurgents who have been fighting the central government in Kiev.

A firefighter douses the smoldering wreckage of Flight MH17 on Thursday. Kiev officials accuse pro-Russian separatists of firing a missile at the jet, which crashed in territory held by rebel insurgents. The separatists, Ukraine's military and Russia have all denied any involvement.

Pro-Russian fighters at the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet near the village of Hrabove, Ukraine on Friday. One day after the downing of the jetliner, investigators are trying to learn more about the crash and who might be responsible. The passenger jet had nearly 300 people onboard; none survived.

Not everyone can win the gold medal, and historian Sarah Lewis says that's a good thing. It's the near-wins and bare losses that truly motivate us to master our destinies.

About Sarah Lewis

Author and art historian Sarah Lewis has emerged as a cultural powerhouse for her fresh perspectives on culture, history and identity. In 2010, she co-curated the groundbreaking SITE Santa Fe biennial, featuring artists melding the "homespun and the high-tech." She has been a member of President Obama's National Arts Policy Committee, and a curatorial adviser for Brooklyn's Barclays Center. Her debut book, The Rise, explores the idea of failure.